I love the obscene amount of b-sides they have. This song being one of the best. Therapy? used to do that, record tons of songs per album and release a bunch of b-sides as singles. Some of the best Therapy? songs are b-sides.

Yeah, I'm inclined to say that much of the Wildhearts' B-sides are better than the album material. It wasn't even that they recorded loads of stuff in album sessions, apparently they'd just go in to the studio and knock out a few new songs before they released every single. So rather than off-cuts, you were just getting the next batch of material.

I spent absolutely ages trying to assemble every Wildhearts single so I'd have all the B-sides and then literally as soon as I got the last one ('Suckerpunch'), the record label reissued all of the band's albums with the B-sides on a second disc! Ah well, at least I have quite a swanky looking collection I guess.

Yeah, but when you love a band, it's always cooler to have a load of CDs. You know, like the single that looks like a passport, and the one that looks like a wallet with Wildhearts money inside. You can't beat that!

Not really sure what took me so long, but I finally got around to picking up the latest Manics album last weak. And oh boy, it is lovely. Much more pop-rock than Journal For Plague Lovers, but far more meticulously crafted than Send Away The Tigers (which isn't bad, itself). The entire album just has so many lovely lush string arrangements and massive choir vocals. Definitely a great album for a sunny spring!

They'll certainly never top The Holy Bible for me. I hold that in the same esteem I do Earth Vs. The Wildhearts and Troublegum by Therapy?

However, Generation Terrorists is a mixed bag. I do love the late '80s rock vibe it has but there's a lot of filler tracks there. But when it's on top form, it's fantastic. Bradfield's guitar work is especially great on it. Still, I'd probably take Everything Must Go or Journal For Plague Lovers over it.

I'm being sent to Hanover at the end of the month to attend the listening session for Edguy's new one. Then I get to interview the band and I assume the label will pilfer me full of German beer. In honour of this lovely news;

Band from around my neck of the woods. Saw them do an open mic slot some point last year as a two-piece and I was absolutely mesmerised. Their singer, Zoot, is a fantastic performer. She was on piano too and was absolutely destroying that thing. Anyway, they finally put out their debut EP yesterday and it's rather great. Will have to go see them live again at some point.